Strategy for the Localization and Optimization of Humanitarian 1st draft

Overview of the Loclaisation Strategy Proposal

Vision

We envision a future where response in Yemen is characterized by fair, equitable, and dignified practices, fostering a system where local actors lead and shape humanitarian response efforts. Our aim is to ensure effective and efficient assistance that aligns closely with the needs and priorities of affected communities. This vision entails empowering local stakeholders through partnerships and leadership, enhancing coordination and complementarity mechanisms, promoting an enabling environment for local actors, strengthening capacities, and increasing access to quality and quantity of funds. Through these efforts, we aspire to create lasting positive impacts, ultimately contributing to a more stable, efficient, 

Mission

Our mission is to transform the landscape of humanitarian response in Yemen by actively fostering fair, equitable, and dignified practices. We are committed to advocate and promote optimizing a response system where local actors are at the forefront, leading and shaping response efforts. In collaboration with local partners, we strive to establish a responsive and equitable humanitarian system in Yemen by 2028, driven by empowered local leadership and respect for their knowledge and expertise.

To fulfill our vision, we are dedicated to empowering local stakeholders through advocacy for strategic partnerships and leadership initiatives. We strive to advocate to enhance coordination and complementarity mechanisms, creating an environment that encourages and enables local actors to play pivotal roles in the response process. Central to our mission is the commitment to building the capacities of local entities and facilitating their access to both quality and quantity of funds.

By pursuing this mission, we aim to bring about lasting positive impacts, fostering a more stable, efficient, and locally-led response system that ensures the well-being and resilience of communities across Yemen.

Overall Objective:

The overall Objective of the localisation initiative is to promote for more localized, inclusive, responsive, and effective response system in Yemen, characterized by strengthened partnerships, empowered local leadership, enhanced coordination, increased community involvement and ownership, improved funding accessibility, and a supportive environment for local actors. This overarching objective aims to foster sustainable and impactful interventions that align with the needs of affected populations, progressively amplifying the role and capacities of local actors while ensuring equitable and ethical engagement within the response landscape."

It is a dynamic movement providing basis for mainstreaming the localization of the response in Yemen that envisions a collaborative effort involving the localization initiative members, response actors, and stakeholders. Its mission is to establish strategic measures that prioritize strengthening local partnerships, empowering local leadership, enhancing coordination and complementarity, promoting community participation and ownership, advocating for an enabling environment for local actors, strengthening institutional capacities, and improving funding accessibility and quality.

Values:

1. Humanity: The commitment to preserving and protecting the lives, dignity, and well-being of individuals affected by crises without discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, religion, or other factors.
2. Neutrality: Maintaining impartiality and refraining from taking sides in conflicts or controversies, ensuring assistance is provided based on need alone, without favoritism.
3. Impartiality: Providing assistance and support solely based on need, without any form of bias or discrimination, ensuring equal treatment for those in need of aid.
4. Independence: Conducting humanitarian actions autonomously and free from political, economic, or other external influences, allowing for decisions to be made based on humanitarian needs alone.
5. Universality: The belief that humanitarian principles and assistance should be available to all individuals affected by crises, irrespective of their location, background, or affiliation.
6. Accountability: Taking responsibility for actions and decisions, being answerable for the consequences of humanitarian interventions, and being transparent about the use of resources and results achieved.
7. Respect for Human Rights: Upholding and promoting the respect for the rights of individuals affected by crises, ensuring that humanitarian actions do not infringe upon their fundamental rights.

Principles:

1. Local Ownership and Leadership: Prioritize and support local actors in leading and shaping interventions, respecting their expertise and knowledge of the context.
2. Partnership Alignment: Ensure partnerships are based on mutual respect, transparency, and shared principles, fostering collaborative relationships that amplify impact.
3. Needs-Driven Approach: Design and implement programs based on a thorough understanding of the diverse and evolving needs of affected communities.
4. Inclusivity and Diversity: Embrace diversity and inclusion by ensuring the participation of all stakeholders, especially marginalized groups, and valuing their contributions.
5. Accountability and Transparency: Uphold high standards of accountability, transparency, and ethical conduct in all interactions and decision-making processes.
6. Continuous Learning and Adaptation: Foster a culture of learning and adaptation, allowing for flexibility and innovation in response to changing circumstances and feedback.
7. Sustainability and Resilience: Promote interventions that are sustainable, building resilience within communities to ensure enduring positive impact beyond immediate crisis response.
8. Advocacy and Influence: Advocate for policies and practices that support the localization agenda and remove barriers to effective local engagement in the humanitarian system.
9. Conflict Sensitivity and Do No Harm: Prioritize conflict sensitivity in all interventions, striving to do no harm and minimizing negative impacts on conflict dynamics.

Objectives:

Through these strategic approaches, the aim is to achieve the following objectives:

1. Strengthening Direct Partnerships with Local Actors:

This objective is dedicated to enhancing principled, equitable, and ethical partnerships with local actors within Yemen's response landscape. The target is to achieve a minimum of 25% increase in the proportion of principled, and strategic partnerships with local actors within the first three years then to maintain a steady growth rate of at least 10% in subsequent years.

2. Empowering Local Actors Leadership:

The aim is to amplify the leadership role of local actors in the humanitarian response system. This empowerment will lead to more effective and sustainable programming, closely aligned with the needs of affected populations. The target is to achieve a Local Leadership Participation Rate of at least 25% within the first three years. Then to progressively increase this rate by 10% each subsequent year to ensure a significant impact on local leadership engagement.

3. Enhancing Coordination and Complementarity of the Response System:

The localisation initiative seeks to improve coordination and complementarity among all international and local actors and between sectors in response include bridging the gaps between Relief, Development and Peacebuilding. The aim is to achieve a Cross-Sector Collaboration Index score of at least 5 out of 10 within the first three years of implementing the strategic roadmap proposal and a continuous increase in the index score by 1 point each subsequent year to signify ongoing improvement in cross-sector collaboration.

4. Community involvement revolution and Ownership:

The aim is to increase community participation, engagement, and ownership in response efforts. The target is to achieve a minimum Community Engagement Index score of 15 out of 20 within the first three years and to continually improve the index by at least 1 point each subsequent year.

5. Promoting Enabling Environment for Local Actors:

To mainstream the localization roadmap, we need to promote an enabling civic space where local actors play a recognized and active role in shaping response priorities and implementing interventions. The target is to achieve a public policy Index score of at least 50% within the first three years of implementing this strategic roadmap proposal then continual improvement by at least 10% each subsequent year.

6. Strengthening Local Actors Institutional Capacities:

To empower local actors’ capabilities to provide effective and timely response to crisis-affected communities and mitigate risks of fund mainstreaming and leadership of local actors in the response system through National, Comprehensive and Strategic Institutional and Programmatic Capacities Building Initiative for local actors. The target is to achieve a Capacity Enhancement Score increase of at least 25% within the first three years of implementation of this roadmap proposal and for continual improvement by at least 25% each subsequent year.

7. Improving Funding Accessibility and Quality:

To improve access to and quality of funding for local actors involved in the response and remove barriers to direct funding. By analyzing barriers and advocating for increased funding allocations to local actors, the target is to achieve a Direct Funding Proportion of 25% by the first three years of then a gradual increase in the proportion of direct funding each subsequent year.